Hello Middle School families. I hope you are having a lovely weekend.
I don’t know about you but I am sad that Sundays won’t be for Football anymore. But, I did see that Red Sox truck day was Monday and I noticed that when I left the house this week for work it was light out.. YAY!!! I’ll take those as wins.
Parents, as we get into the 2nd half of the year your students are growing and changing. Please help them be Aware of their bodies. They may need deodorant, they may need to put on new socks. Help them Own their growing hygiene needs. We are noticing this shift as the year progresses and they can be Kind to others if they apply deodorant or change their socks. Middle School…. This is where all of this “stuff” starts to happen. Help us reinforce what they are learning in health and wellness. Thank you
Attendance, as a reminder, vacations are discouraged during the school year. When students take vacations during the school year students are encouraged to make up the work they miss. Teachers do their best to accommodate requests for work but nothing takes the place of instructional time.
Grades 7 & 8, Mark your calendars. There will be a dance on Thursday, February 15th from 6-8 in the North Cafe. There will be a DJ, games, music, prizes, and refreshments! $5 entry fee & $1 concessions. This is not a dance where students need dates.
SEPAC, Please join us on 2/13 at 9:30am at the PTYC. We are having SC member, Lacey McCabe, join the conversation.
ALiCE Drill, Monday 2/12 It is important that we practice these drills for everyones safety.
School Council we had a meeting this week. Our next meeting will be March 18th in the South Library. All are welcome to attend.
Athletics, GDRMS..Spring Registration is open for the following sports:
Track & Field grades 5-8
Baseball games 6-8
Softball grades 6-8
Girls Volleyball grades 7-8
Depending on enrollment cuts may have to be made. All students must be fully registered and all past payments made to tryout.
Mr. Fleming and Mr. Day are planning assemblies with grades 6 and 7 topics to include impact vs intent. We are seeing a rise in comments that students think are funny when in actuality they are mean or insensitive or biased. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me and Mr. Day for grades 6 or Mr. Fleming for grade 7.
Reminders
Square 1 Art, Our Middle School PTO is running the Square 1 Art fundraiser again this year. Students will be getting their kits next week. Kits should be back to advisory teachers by 2/29. We will have the catalogs back for you to order by March 25th. Order deadline for parents will be April 5th. Orders ship directly to parents and should be in by Mother’s Day.
Women & Sports, Lawrence Academy is hosting their 2nd Annual Basketball Clinic as part of their Girls & Women in Sport Celebration on Saturday, February 17, 2024.
This free community event is open to all students Kdg-8th Grade.
We’ve included the press release as well as the link to the event flyer.
Kindness Week, Kindness week will be Monday, February 12th thru Friday, February 16th. Students and staff will engage in different activities during advisory. You can click here for daily themes that promote our activities. Participation is optional. Here are five ways to be kind at home!
Smile at others. Did you know that smiling can actually make you feel happy? It’s also a great way to make others happy.The best part is that smiling is contagious, so once your kids are smiling, the whole family will be too!
Give someone a compliment. We all like to feel appreciated. Encouraging children to compliment others is a great way to help them learn to notice others and build empathy.
Tell someone a joke. You can spread kindness and laughter by telling a funny joke to someone at home. Even if they don’t get the punch line right, your child’s enthusiasm is sure to make you smile and giggle.
Listen. Listening is a really important way to show kindness to others. Everyone likes to feel heard. Teaching our kids to be good listeners and giving them opportunities to practice the skill is an act of kindness that keeps on giving.
Gather old toys and books to donate to other kids. This act of kindness is a great way to encourage empathy, consideration, and discourage materialism. Sincerely, Your Middle School Counselors
Grade 5 & 6 families, Safe Road Alliance, please see the letter Safe Roads Alliance
This was also sent in a separate email. Sorry in the separate email I did not have the link for the zoom. The parent zoom was sent earlier today.
Host Family Search, Letter of explanation
Does your student play an instrument, sing, dance, and like to perform? GDRMS is hosting a Student Showcase on March 12th at 7:00 PM in the PAC. If your student is interested in performing, please fill out THIS FORM before March 5th. If you have any questions, email Ms. Stone at estone@gdrsd.org.
Bus Concerns, I have received 2 emails from parents regarding concerns about the bus ride. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s bus ride I encourage you to reach out to the bus company. The telephone number for Dee Bus is 978-448-3322. Or you can email Ms. Renna at erenna@deebus.com. She is more than happy to answer and questions and provide support.
Nursing Corner, 6th grade families please see the attached letter. Physical Exam and Immunizations grade 6
Winter Assistance, if you or your family need any assistance going into the winter months here is an Assistance Request Form that you can fill out for support.
GDRMS Handbook:
Please spend some time with your students getting familiar with our handbook.
Dates to remember:
Teachers update Gradebook, 2/2,2/16, ⅜ and 3/22
February Vacation Monday the 19- Friday the 23
MCAS dates for planning purposes,
ELA Week of 4/1, most likely April 2, April 3
Grades 5 & 8 Science/technology May 20 May 21
Math Week of 5/13 , most likely May 15, May 16
Civics May 29 and 30
Sincerely your Groton Dunstable Regional Middle School Principal
Wendy Salvatore, wsalvatore@gdrsd.org